Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition – Worth Buying?

Gone are the glory days for isometric turn based RPG’s which were the go-to games in our childhood a decade or two ago. The likes of dungeon crawlers like Baldur’s Gate, Ice Wind Dale, and Planescape Torment have never been reached in terms of grandeur, excitement, and adventure. However, there seems to have been a slight resurgence in this genre in recent times.

In the year of 2104, Larion Studios gave us what we have been craving for, for nearly a decade or more: Divinity Original Sin. Basically a turn-based RPG from an isometric view; it tried to recapture the essence of what made some of the previous titles so great and memorable in the first place. So how well does it do in that regard? Here is everything you need to know.

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Review

Graphics

First and foremost, we need to look at how good the game looks. And to be fair, it is absolutely gorgeous from top to bottom. It is fair to say that it is by far the best looking isometric RPG to ever exist and that is coming from someone who has played nearly all of the old greats and new ones as well.

The entire world of Rivellon looks fresh and breathtaking. There is a bright nature to the color palette used for this game, and that is something I could not take my eyes off. The developers have obviously put a lot of work in this department, and that is evident from the fact that I did not immediately puke from the motion blur used in this game.

Not only that, there is a slight use of depth of field, and it is used in a way that it does not needlessly make everything else blurred out. But it doesn’t just end here. The overall optimization of the game is terrific, and I was able to crank everything up to Ultra without having a single frame drop. The enhanced edition for the PS4 and Xbox One also equally great, but runs at 30 fps. Despite that fact, it is still very playable regardless.

Sound

The sound of this game is well and truly magnificent. From the quick and impactful music which plays during combat or the light and soothing ones which play while you explore the world, you will find everything here. There were times when I would just stop playing altogether just to listen to the music playing in the background.

I mean, when was the last time you could do that in a game? Apart from the overall music, the voice acting is also solid. A problem that was persistent in the original game was that a lot of the dialogue was not voiced. And considering the high quality of the ones which were voiced, it felt like something was missing. The enhanced edition fixes all that by voicing every single NPC in the game.

Gameplay

Now we move on the main attraction of the gameplay.

And the first thing that needs to be mentioned is how good the character creation menu in this game actually is. It is almost as if the developers care and know how to make a proper game! Sarcasm aside, the character creation in Divinity Original Sins is one of the most in-depth out there.

As far as the game mechanics itself is concerned, to be fair, there is nothing new or revolutionary here. If you have played any turn-based RPG game before, then you will feel right at home here. The thing about it is that it makes sure those existing mechanics are done right. It is polished, and it carried out with the greatest efficiency.

For instance, you will find the turn order of every player being displayed on top of the screen with a picture of their avatars. And although you may sometimes confuse yourself amongst enemies which look alike, it is still something which new and old gamers alike will find familiar.

At the beginning of the game, you are thrown into the first area of the game and given full freedom to explore whatever you wish to. At first, I was a little unsure of this sort of design, but I guess that’s why I am not in charge over there. You will realize that the opening area itself contains a huge number of secrets and locations to explore and once you unlock new areas, you will find yourself intertwined with quests and adventures that you probably did not even sign up for, to begin with.

There is tons of loot in the world, and you will gain to find even more as you progress through the story. The weapons feel strong and sturdy as they should, the armors are unique and cool to look at, and the spells feel impactful and intriguing and overall are a joy to use. You can go 30+ hours in this game without every finishing the main story. THAT is how big the scope of this game is.

Tactician/EE/Advanced Guide

You want a real guide written by someone who has put in 500+ hours into DOS; Original + EE, by someone who actually knows what they are talking about? Tired of starting the game over again because your party just isn’t cutting it? Want to know the “do’s and don’ts” that will make even Tactician a breeze? Too bad you didn’t find this guide earlier…

Classes

What’s the strongest melee class and can I mix it with Magic effectively? A melee character needs Str and Con first. Then you can add some intelligence. I ran an eldritch knight through NWN 2, and he felt over-powered 99% of the time. Divinity:OS doesn’t work the same way. If you want an aggressive build with little defense, get a summoning ability. Summons really help in the beginning. If you want more of a cleric, use shields and a variety of CC, attack, heal (and buff) spells. You’re never penalized for wearing armour when spellcasting, but the heavist armours require Str. I really wouldn’t recommend being a melee mage your first play through, because it requires a lot of crafting to work. Fire is a good choice for melee mages because it has 3 novice level melee ranged fire spells — but its only effective with more than 100% fire resistance! (only easily doable with crafting) Also a lot of the stat boosting from gear is only consistent if you can craft it.

Unfortunately, none of the spell sets are especially useful in close combat, they are almost always just as useful at range (pyromancy excepted).

The strongest melee class early is two hander. The stronger melee class late is dual wield (both man-at-arms). Scoundrel doesn’t really hit its stride later, and even then is reliant on positioning and ally support. A good party setup has 3 essentials: a mage that can do aoe and control spells, a melee fighter and a marksman. Your fourth member doesn’t fill a niche as much, but I see most people reserve that slot for a) a full tank, b) a second mage to get all the schools covered c) a second ranger for dps consistency The best support tree in the game is water, followed by witchcraft and earth if a lot of members on your team deal physical damage.

Story

The story starts off as something like a 13-year-old would come up with. However, as I played through it, I soon realized that there was more depth to it than I initially thought it did. The characters you meet along the way are also interesting, and you will find yourself laughing once in a while at the one-liners made by them.

divinity original sin enhanced edition map

In the enhanced edition, there are an extra number of quests and story lines to pursue as well. Because of how big the original game is, these extra quests feel like an extra cherry on top rather than a needed addition. And for someone who has finished all of these quests, I can tell you just how much time you are going to need to do it all.

Cons

Inventory system is a bit unpolished

Overall

Divinity Original Sins a fine tribute to the older days of intriguing and adventurous dungeon crawling. But this time around, there are more than just dungeons. With a great storyline and hours of gameplay at hand, there are very few games out there which provide a sense of exploring as this one does. Not to mention the added controller support for the enhanced edition of this game this makes it even better. To sum it up, a final verdict of 9/10 does this game justice. It is nearly perfect and something which you must buy for yourself.